3-day​ trek on the Inca Quarry Trail

During my visit to Peru back in October of 2017, I did a 3-day camping trip in the Andes Mountains with Intrepid Travel. There were only 3 other people in my group which was nice because we all got to know each other. We had two female guides, four porters, and several horses that carried our gear.

I’d never actually been camping before this trip, but I thought why not? Go big right? So I took a huge leap outside my comfort zone and the pay off was incredible. We were so far off the beaten path and there were no other tourists in sight! I was pretty happy about this because I heard the more popular Inca trail gets a lot of traffic.

The trek itself was probably the most physically and mentally challenging thing I’ve ever done. The elevation is no joke and it was really difficult to breathe. I was breathing so hard that I could barely talk and walk at the same time. So would I do it again? Absolutely! I hope to take more trips like this in the future.

Day 1

We stopped at the small town of Ollantaytambo for last minute supplies
How cool that the mountain water drains down the side of the street and right into the crops
Hilltop ruins behind the hostel
Meeting our porters and horses
Starting the trek
Agave plants
How beautiful!
Narrow part of the path
Q’orimarca archaeological site, which once served as a checkpoint to the Incas
Campsite day 1
The family whose land we camped on
Dinner – stuffed avocado
Inside my tent
Happy camper 🙂
My first night camping was a success

Day 2

Breakfast
Pass of Puccaqasa
Hooray!
What a view!
Our horses grazing
Totally off the grid
Mid-day break
Lunch
Lunch
Bathroom aka a bucket covered by a tent
Kuychicassa, the highest pass of the trek at 14,600 feet. It started snowing!
Campsite day 2

Day 3

Woke up to this peaceful view
Morning tea
Said goodbye to our porters
Hiked down into the Sacred Valley
Home visit – yes, those are guinea pigs
Home shrine

One Comment Add yours

  1. Bruce L Bair says:

    Amazing Jess! Great photography. What kind of gear do you recommend for this kind of an off grid trek? What camera were you using? Your photos are terrific. Do you have training or experience that helped you get such great shots? Have you edited them or is this the raw footage?

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